Garbage can support and lid holder



N 7 19 1 J. D. FAIRBANKS ErAL 3,007,664

GARBAGE CAN SUPPORT AND LID HOLDER Filed Nov. 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l541., {J m m 3% 2 5 X. M

0 344 ii 4 $3 Q Nov. 7, 1961 J. D- FAIRBANKS ETAL 3,007,5 4

GARBAGE CAN SUPPORT AND LID HOLDER Filed Nov. 7, 1960 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR-S' ATTORNEY United States Patent Gffice 3,007,664 Patented Nov.7, 1961 3,007 664 GARBAGE CAN SUPPOllT AND LID HOLDER James D.Fairbanks, Box 252, Rte. 2, and C B. Fairbanks, 1629 Tower St., both ofDecatur, Ala. Filed Nov. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 67,593 6 Claims. (Cl.248-126) This invention relates to supports for holding metal cans forgarbage, trash or other refuse.

Such metal cans or containers have removable covers and they are usuallyplaced on the ground at the rear of a dwelling. Frequently such agarbage can is knocked over by dogs seeking food and the contents isscattered over the lawn or yard. If there is a high wind even the cancover or lid will be blown away. Placing the can on the lawn or on abench presents a problem of keeping the grass cut under and around thecan. In some cities and towns there are ordinances requiring that suchgarbage and refuse cans be on the outside of a fence enclosing the houselot so that they will be more accessible to the refuse collector. Insome cases it is desirable to support the can on a fence post or on aseparate post, on the outside of a fence near its top so that the houseowner may readily deposit refuse in the can while on the inside of thefence and the refuse collector may readily empty the can without cominginto the yard.

One object of the invent-ion is to provide an improved can support andholder for its lid which will be free from the above mentioned drawbacksto the present general practice, not withstanding the various proposalsthat have been offered for supporting the can above the ground on apost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garbage can support witha lid holder that is laterally swingable on the supporting post and alsovertically slidable in the post and held under spring tension, theamount of downward movement of the holder being preferably adjustableaccording to the proportions of the can and its lid and the position ofthe can on the supporting post.

Another object of the invent-ion is to provide a container supportcomposed largely of metal pipe sections and fittings in which the posthas a lower section readily removable from an upper section and carryinga head to which an anchor bar may be bolted when the post is to beanchored in the ground in concrete, the head forming half of a metalpipe clamp, so that when the lower section of the post is removed fromthe upper section and applied to a fitting at the top of the latter, thelower section may be clamped on a fence post or bolted to a wall or thelike in a horizontal position and serve as a supporting arm or bracketto hold the upper sect-ion of the post in an upright position spacedfrom a fence, :1 wall or the like.

Another object is to provide a refuse can support of the above indicatedcharacter in which the can supporting post has at its top an upturnedhook member to be engaged by one of the pivoted hand loops near the topof the can, the post having on its lower portion a vertically adjustablebracket member to be engaged by the bottom of the can to support theweight of the latter, the bracket member being quickly adjustable,without the use of any tool, so that cans of different sizes may besupported.

Another object is to provide a can or container support of the aboveindicated character which may be easily mounted in different ways, onwhich a can or cans of different sizes may be easily applied and asreadily removed for emptying, and which is of such construction that itwill be strong and durable and may be manufactured at a comparativelylow cost.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionresides in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts and thenovel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, andillus trated in the accompanying drawings which show the presentpreferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the can support mounted on the post of afence;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the support with its post set in the ground inconcrete, and showing the manner of adjustably mounting the bracketmember, and a portion of a can being shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale withparts being broken away, through the upper portion of the post showingthe manner of mounting the spring-pressed slidable and swingable holdersfor the lids of cans;

FIG. 4 is a detail vertical section on an enlarged scale through aportion of the post showing the manner of mounting the adjustablebracket member;

FIG. 5 is a detail top plan view of the upper end of the post partsbeing broken away and in section;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of the bracket members.

Referring more in detail to the drawings the numeral 10 denotes as awhole an upright can supporting post which may be supported from a fencepost, as shown in FIG. 1, or anchored in the ground, as shown in FIG. 2.In the disclosed embodiment the device is shown as adapted to supporttwo cans but it is to be understood that the device may be made tosupport only one. The post 10 is shown as made from sections of metalpipe and pipe fittings, and it comprises an upper section 11 screwthreaded at both ends, a T-fitting 12 threaded on the upper end of thesection -11, a threaded coupling sleeve 13 screwed on the lower end ofthe section 11, a detachable lower section 14 screw threaded at one endand adapted to be threaded into either the lower end of the coupling 13to form a continuation of the section 11 as shown in FIG. 2, or into thebranch 15 of the T-fitting 12 to form a horizontal supporting bracketfor the post as shown in FIG. 1. When the section 14 is used as abracket arm, the lower end of the coupling 13 may be closed by a screwplug 16.

At the other end of the section 14 there is formed a transverselyextending head 17 shaped to provide one half of a pipe clamp. Thisattaching head has a curved seat 18 and oppositely projecting aperturedears 19. When the post is to be set in concrete an apertured anchor baror plate 20 is placed against the cars 19 and fixed thereto by bolts 21,as seen in FIG. 2, so that the post will be rigidly supported. When thesection 14 is to be used as a post supporting bracket, the seat 18receives less than half of the diameter of a metal post P of a fence P,such as the well known Anchor fence, and a coacting pipe clamp member22, similar to the head 17, is placed on the post P and connected to thehead by bolts 24, as shown in FIG. 1, so that the bracket will besecurely fixed to the fence post. However the head 17 may be boltedagainst a solid board fence, a building wall or any upright support.

The weight of the can is preferably supported by a bracket member 25which is vertically adjustable on the post section 11, and theconstruction and mounting of the bracket is such that the adjustment forcans of different heights may be made very quickly without the use ofany tool, and that cans of different diameters and different downwardtapers may be effectively held against shifting. A vertical series ofholes 26 is formed lengthwise of the section 11 and any one of them isadapted to be engaged by a book 27 projecting upwardly from the innerend of an outwardly or radially projecting arm 28 forming the bodyportion of the bracket 25. Also at the inner end of the arm 28 is adownwardly extending abutment plate 29 adapted to engage the outer faceof the section 11 when the hook is in one of the openings 26. Thisabutment is an arcuate metal plate the inner curvature of whichcorresponds to the outer curvature of the section 11. The hook 27 isinwardly offset from the inner curved face of the abutment 29 a distancecorresponding substantially to the thickness of the wall of the pipeforming the section 11. It will be seen that when the bracket arm 28 istilted to a vertical position, the hook may be inserted in one of theapertures 26 and when the arm is then swung downwardly, the plate 29will engage the section 11 and hold the bracket in a substantiallyhorizontal position.

At the outer end of the arm 28 is a substantially triangular shaped loopdisposed substantially in a plane that is inclined downwardly andoutwardly from the end of the arm. That loop comprises two outwardlydiverging upper portions 30 extending from the arm 28 and connected by alower portion or rod 31 on which the bottom of the can C is adapted torest while the curved side wall of the can bears against the loopportions 30. The length of the supporting rod 31 is substantial so thatcans of various diameters may be supported; and while the rod may bestraight and horizontally disposed, it is preferably slightly bowed orcurved longitudinally in an upward and outward direction so that itscentral portion may take under the usual depending bottom flange on adownwardly taped but substantially cylindrical metal can such as arecommonly used for garbage, trash and other refuse. The bracket 25 ispreferably made by bending a metal rod to form the parts 27, 28, 30 and31 and welding the parallel parts forming the arm 28 together andwelding thelatter to the top of the plate 29. When two cans are to besupported on the post by such brackets, two rows of holes 26 will beformed at approximately diametrically opposite points in the section 11.

While the member 12 may be especially made for the support, a standardT-fitting is preferably used and on the open top of it is welded at 34 aflat metal plate 35 which carries at least one book member 36 forengagement by one of the usual pivoted handle loops H on the can, andalso at least one can lid holder or retainer 37. The hook 36 extendsoutwardly and upwardly from the plate 35 and is preferably formed by abent U-shaped metal rod welded to the plate. As shown there are twodiametrically opposed hooks 36 formed by bending a single rod andwelding it as at 38 to the bottom of the plate 35. If a can is of suchheight that the bracket 25 cannot be positioned low enough to engage itsbottom, the weight of the can can be supported by the hook 36 and theside of the can will bear against the rod 31.

The retainer or holder for the removable lid or cover L of the can Ccomprises a straight metal rod 40 that is slidably and rotatably mountedin an opening in the top plate 35 and has at its upper end a rightangularly extending horizontal arm 41 movable over the top of the lidand preferably formed with a down turned extremity 42 carrying acushioning head cap 43 of rubber or the like. The major portion of thevertical rod 40 is disposed in the fitting 12 and the upper portion ofthe section 11 and to its lower end is attached one end of a coil spring44, the other end of the latter being attached to a fixed vertical rodor bar 45 that extends downwardly from the plate 35, as shown in FIG. 3.The spring functions to press the arm 41 or its cap 43 down on the topof the lid L; and to limit such downward movement of the lid holder, astop collar or sleeve 46 is slidable on the projecting upper portion ofthe rod 40 and adjustably held thereon by a set screw 47. The adjustmentof the stop collar is determined by the height of the can, the depth ofits lid or cover L, and by the position of the can relative to the topof the supporting device. When two cans are to be supported on the post10, the second cover holder will be of the same construction and thelower end of its retracting coil spring will also be attached to thefixed rod 45. If the plate 35 is not removably attached to the fittingor member 12, the section 11 may be unscrewed from the latter to provideaccess to the spring 44 should it need replacement.

The threads in the coupling 13 and the T-fitting 12 are the same so thatthe plug 16 may be used in the branch or arm 15 of the fitting when thepost is to be anchored in the ground or used in the coupling 13 when thepost is to be supported from a fence post or from a wall or solid boardfence. Thus in both uses of the plug 16 it will serve to keep out of thepost dust, dirt, rain, mud-dobbers and other things that might affectthe operation of the spring device in the post. In order to effectivelyguide the rod 40 a tubular bearing sleeve 48 is preferably welded to thebottom of the cover plate 35, as seen in FIG. 3, so that the rod isfreely slidable and rotatable in the bearing.

It will be seen that the post of the device may be either anchored inthe ground or attached to a fence post or to a building wall or thelike, the section 14 being used in either case. When mounted on a fencepost or near a fence, the can may be positioned near the top of thefence on the outside of the latter so that refuse may be placed in itfrom the inside of the yard and the trash pickup man may convenientlyempty the can. The bottom of the can will be sufficiently above theground to permit grass and weeds under the can and along the fence to becut by a lawn mover. The adjustability of the lid holder 37 and of thebottom support or bracket 25 permits the device to hold cans of variousheights and diameters. The inverted U-shape top portion 41 of the lidholder forms a convenient handle so that the holder may be readilylifted and swung into either lid locked or unlocked position.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made forcarrying out the objects of the invention, and while preferences havebeen disclosed, attention is invited to the possibility of makingvariations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A can holder of the character set forth and adapted to support a caneither from a post anchored in the ground or from a fence post orupright support in laterally spaced relation thereto, said holdercomprising a first upright tubular section, a second tubular section, aT-fitting on the top of the first section and having a laterallyprojecting branch, a tubular sleeve on the lower end of said firstsection, a recessed and apertured cross head on one end of said secondsection and forming onehalf of a pipe clamp, the other end of saidsecond section being adapted to be either fixed in the lower end of saidsleeve to form a post to be anchored in the ground or fixed in saidbranch of the T-fitting to form a supporting bracket for said uppersection when the holder is to be supported from a fence post, a wall orany other upright support, and means carried by said first section forsupporting a can.

2. The can holder of claim 1 in which said means comprises a laterallyprojecting hook adjacent the top of said first section to be engaged bya hand loop on the can, and a can-engaging bracket vertically adjustableon an intermediate portion of said first section.

3. The can holder of claim 2 together with a holder for the lid of thecan, said lid holder comprising an upright rod slidably and rotatablymounted in a closure at the top of said T-fitting and having its lowerportion extending into the upper portion of said first section, theupper portion of said rod having a laterally projecting arm swingableover the lid of the can and vertically movable with respect to thelatter, and spring means within said first section and acting on saidrod to move it downwardly.

4. The can holder of claim 1 together with a can lid holder rotatablyand slidably mounted in said T-fitting and the upper portion of saidfirst section and having at its projecting top a laterally projectingarm to overlie the can lid, spring means within said first section tourge said lid holder downwardly, and an adjustable stop on the upperportion of said lid holder and engageable with the top of said T-fittingto limit the downward movement of said arm.

5. The can holder of claim 1 in which said means comprises a laterallyprojecting hook adjacent the top of said first section to be engaged bya hand loop on the can, and a can-engaging bracket vertically adjustableon an intermediate portion of said first section, said bracketcomprising an arm having at one end an upturned hook adapted to beentered into any one of a vertical series of holes in said firstsection, a transversely extending curved abutment plate spaced from saidhook and depending from said arm to engage the outer face of saidtubular first section to hold said arm substantially hori zontal whensaid hook is in its engaged position with one of said hoies, and agenerally triangular shaped can engaging loop at the outer end of saidarm.

6. The can holder of claim 5 in which said loop has outwardly anddownwardly projecting arms united by a connecting portion bowed upwardlyand outwardly and adapted to engage under a depending flange at thebottom of a can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,448,456 Niskanen Aug 31, 1948 2,690,893 Mokhiber Oct. 5, 1954 FOREIGNPATENTS 651,822 Great Britain 'Apr. 11, 1951

